The prime minister and his delegation group met local tourism and business figures, joined by Phang Nga Governor Ekarat Leesen and other Phang Nga provincial officials, at the Moracea by Khao Lak Resort Hotel, where three key development projects to develop Phang Nga’s tourism industry were presented.
At the top of the agenda was the construction of the ‘Phang Nga airport’, also referred to as ‘Phuket Airport 2’ in other reports.
Pongsakorn Ketprapakorn, President of the Tourism Council of Phang Nga, earlier this week said that the airport, initially slated to be built in Khok Kloi, was necessary for the Andaman provinces as expansion at Phuket International Airport had reached maximum capacity, while tourist demand for the South has grown rapidly after the pandemic.
Mr Pongsakorn said the government should assign Airports of Thailand (AoT) to start conducting a feasibility study and environmental impact assessment as soon as possible, as airport construction takes many years, reported the Bangkok Post.
Based on a previous study for a potential airport in Phang Nga, he said the new facility could have the longest runway in Thailand, which could accommodate the large aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380, unlike Phuket airport, which has physical limits.
Moreover, the new airport could have a capacity of up to 25 million passengers per year, double the 12.5mn at Phuket, he added.
At the meeting in Khao Lak yesterday, the Phang Nga tourism figures said that the new airport would include EV buses to transfer passengers to and from Phuket International Airport and Krabi International Airport. The service is intended to facilitate tourism throughout the Andman region.
Construction of the airport would help drive development and investment into Phang Nga, the group said.
“The recovery of tourism in Phang Nga has reached 70% of the level in 2019. Some hotels already have full bookings for the upcoming high season. Provinces along the Andaman coast need a new airport to accommodate the stronger passenger flow in the near future," Mr Pongsakorn said earlier this week.
Mr Pongsakorn said Phang Nga has 150 hotels with 17,000 rooms. If the government agrees to build the new airport, the province will draw more investment.
Also discussed was the construction of a four-lane highway from Surat Thani to Ranaong and Phang Nga to help reduce travel time by domestic tourists. Other major projects discussed included a new pier (or port) to develop water transportation along the Andaman Coast and the construction of a rail link from Surat Thani.
Of note, as with all the major tourism development projects and issues presented to PM Srettha in Phuket on Friday, none fo the projects presented in Khao Lak yesterday were new. All of the projects have already for many years been in discussion, or are already under various stages of development.
PM Srettha and his tourism policy working group also heard from local business figures yesterday a plea to further develop the ‘Andaman Wellness Corridor’ (AWC) to promote tourism to Phang Nga.
Holding marine and sport tourism event during the tourism high and low seasons would also help to stabilise Phang Nga’s tourism industry.
Key issues that also needed to be acted on included “funding of ‘Community Tourism’ projects, solving basic infrastructure problems (water, electricity, public health) and coastal erosion”, said an official report of the meeting.
In response to the lengthy proposals, Prime Minister Srettha said, “It is important to move forward to drive the country’s tourism economy, not just Phang Nga Province. We must look at the whole picture, especially important and urgent matters.”
PM Srettha promised he would return to Phang Nga in the future.